The Alliance
by hollyspark
Summary: The Clans are faced against a deadly alliance-foxes and dogs unite to destroy the clans. Heather and Moss are barn-cats who unintentionally get right in the middle of the war. They may be the only cats who can save the clans-but are they willing to go so far to save the Clans?
1. Chapter 1

"Come on, Heather, let's play!" Moss mewed impatiently. "Don't be a-"

"Play nice, kits," Feather interrupted before he could finish.

"I already told you," meowed Heather. "I'm practicing hunting. You should too, unless you want to skip dinner tonight."

"I don't want to hear you guys argue all night!" Feather snapped. "Don't make me have to remind you guys again. And Heather, I already caught dinner. There is plenty of food here in the barn. Go and play with your brother and leave me in peace."

"Yay!" Moss exclaimed. "We will! Come on, let's go play Mouse! You can be the mouse first."

Heather sighed but went to hide behind a haystack. The scuttling of mice tempted her, but she stayed still. Her pale coat blended in with the hay.

"Hello?" An unfamiliar voice called.

Heather looked towards the entrance of the barn. A beautiful tortoiseshell she-cat with bright green eyes stepped in. A scar ran along her left cheek. Somehow she looked familiar, but Heather didn't remember ever meeting her.

Feather stepped forward, hackles raised, stepping protectively in front of Moss. "You are no longer welcome here, Dappledstar," she hissed.

Dappledstar dipped her head. "I understand, but I came here to offer you something."

"And what is that?"

"Don't you have another kit? Where is she?"

Feather stiffened. "You do not need to know. The kits are safe here." She paused. "At least, they are safer than they were among the Clan cats."

Heather stepped out from behind the haystack. "I'm here." She felt that this strange cat should know she was here.

"What beautiful and strong kits you have," Dappledstar continued. "What an asset they would be to ThunderClan." She gestured towards Moss. "He looks like he would make a decent fighter."

"Never!" Feather spat.

"Very well," Dappledstar mewed. "Just know that you guys are always welcome in ThunderClan." With that, she left.

A couple moons past, with no sign of Dappledstar. Moss was eight moons old, and Heather was six.

"I'm so bored," Heather grumbled. "There's nothing to do around here."

Moss walked in carrying a vole in his mouth. "You could go hunting," he suggested.

Feather glanced outside. "It's almost sunset," she argued.

"Come on, please? I'll make it quick!" Heather pleaded.

"Okay, but you must be careful," Feather mewed anxiously. "The Twolegs let their dogs out at night. And don't wander too far into the forest. If you smell another cat, go the other direction. I don't want one of my kits getting hurt."

"I'll go with her and make sure she doesn't get into any trouble," Moss promised.

Heather swatted at him playfully. "Yeah right! I'm going to be the one stopping you from wandering off!"

"Just go, before nighttime arrives!" Feather hissed rather harshly. They were slightly taken aback.

Feathers eyes softened. "I'm sorry, I just don't want any of you getting hurt," she purred, gently licking their ears.

Heather felt a glimmer of sympathy for her mother, worrying about them so much. "Don't worry," she mewed. "We'll be careful."

She turned around and headed out the barn. The cool breeze ran through her short fur. Moss bounded alongside her.

Heather looked back to see her mother's bright blue eyes glowing in the fading light, watching them until they disappeared out of sight.

They walked along the edge of the forest, listening for the sounds of prey.

Moss lightly touched Heather with his tail-tip. He twitched his ears towards the direction of a rabbit, who was nibbling on something.

Heather crouched low to the ground, tail raised slightly, silently stalking the rabbit.

A bark startled her, and she jumped, rustling some of the grass. The rabbit bounded away.

Heather gave chase, the wind blowing her whiskers back. She was slowly overtaking it. Suddenly the rabbit ducked down into a hole.

She suddenly stopped, looking down into darkness. The footsteps of the rabbit echoed through the tunnel. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to go in. She would not go back to the barn empty pawed.

She squeezed through, barely fitting. A surge of panic washed over her. What if she couldn't get out? What if she was stuck in the darkness forever? The suffocating darkness surrounded her. Some dust got in her nose.

"Moss?" She called out. "Moss, where are you?"  
"Heather?" A fearful meow came out. "Heather, stay down there!"

"What is it?"

No answer.

Scared, Heather backed out of the tunnel. As soon as she was fully out, something heavy landed on top of her. It's claws dug into her fur.

A yowl sounded, and the weight lifted. She looked up to see a fox and Moss circling each other. Moss lashed out, hissing. The fox jumped back.

A dog's bark sounded from behind her. Heather turned around, ready to fight, but the dog didn't attack. It just looked at the fox, pointing with his head towards the cats and barked again.

The fox turned around to look at the dog. Moss was too surprised to take the advantage and get the fox.

The fox barked. It almost looked like it was nodding.

A Twoleg whistle sounded. The dog turned and ran towards its master.

The fox turned back to Heather and Moss, its lips curling in a snarl.

"You take the back and distract him. I'll go for it's head," Heather whispered. Moss nodded and jumped towards its tail.

Heather jumped at the front. Too late, she realized that the fox was not at all distracted by Moss. In fact, it had merely shaken him off.

She was in midair when the fox turned around and slashed at her exposed belly.

A blinding pain washed over Heather. She fell to the ground. Her belly felt like it was on fire.

"Heather!" Moss cried. His meow sounded far away and distant.

Moss looked in shock at Heather's small body. She was still awake, but it looked like she was about to slip away into unconsciousness.

 _Or death._ The thought nagged in his head.

No, it couldn't have been that serious.

Or could it have?

 _It's all my fault._ He should've tried again after the fox shook him off, or maybe gotten it when it was distracted by the dog.

The sound of the fox shook him out of his thoughts. He unsheathed his claws, digging them into the ground. The fox was going to pay for this.

Just before he could strike, meows came from the distance. The fox ran off.

Figures came into view. It was five cats. The one in front was a dark tabby tom with amber eyes.

"Help!" Moss meowed desperately. "It's my sister. A fox attacked.:

"Then you're lucky we came," the cat in front mewed. "Get Mapletail," he murmured to one of the other cats.

"But is she going to be okay?" he asked anxiously.

The tom shrugged. "I've seen Mapletail work wonders before. I doubt this is any different." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Where are you from? We usually wouldn't allow rogues in our territory."  
Moss bristled. "We're not _rogues._ We're-" he suddenly remembered when he had asked Feather, "What are _we_?" when she had told him about the Clan cats, vicious rogues, kittypets who rely on Twolegs, and loners who were indifferent about the Clans, who had no other cat to love, really. She had said that we were barn cats.

"-We're _barn cats,_ " he finished.

His ears perked up. "Barn cats? What is your name?"

Moss lashed his tail. "Can we just get on with it? My sister could be dying right now, and you're asking me personal questions while everyone else is just standing here. And my mother thinks that we're just out hunting and none of this ever happened." His voice was steadily growing louder. "And just when she trusts us to go out at sunset and come back with some food, we get attacked. And now she's probably out looking for us with that fox still out there, and what if she gets attacked too? Can I just see this Mapletail you're talking about, because I need to go and tell my mother what happened."

Despite all this, the cat gave a _mrrow_ of laughter. "Keep your fur down, Mapletail's coming. She's the medicine cat of ThunderClan. My name's Birchstripe, by the way."

Just then a tan she-cat came out of the undergrowth. "Tigerfur said you needed me," she meowed. Her gaze flickered from Heather to Moss. "What happened?"

"There was a fox," Birchstripe answered. "When we get these cats back to ThunderClan, I suggest we send out a patrol to track it down."

Mapletail nodded. "We should move her immediately." she flicked her tail towards Heather.

"Then I need to go tell Feather what happened," Moss added. He felt a prickle of dread.

"Yes, go ahead and do that," Birchstripe agreed.

As Moss walked on the path back to the barn, his feeling of dread grew. What would Feather say? He had promised her that he would look after Heather.

Finally he reached the barn. Feather was waiting at the entrance, her eyes wide worry.

"Where were you?" she asked as soon as Moss reached the entrance. "And where is Heather? What happened?"

Moss took a deep breath. "A fox attacked and hurt her. I had no idea what to do but then some ThunderClan cats came and the medicine cat and took her back to wherever they live. I think we should probably go back there, at least until she's better."  
"Is she okay?" Feather whispered. It looked like she was still trying to comprehend what Moss had just told her.

"I'm pretty sure." Guilt stabbed him like a thorn. "I'm really sorry. I told you I would make sure she wouldn't get into any trouble…"

Feather acted like she didn't hear him. "We need to go to the camp," she decided.

Moss's paws were getting tired, but he didn't complain as they ran through the forest, Feather leading the way. She seemed to know where she was going.

They finally stopped at what appeared to be brambles blocking their way. She squeezed through a little hole. Moss gasped as he went through. A large hollow unfolded beneath him. Cats milled around, some pausing to look up at them.

Birchstripe bounded up to them and touched noses with Feather. "It's so good to see you!" he purred.

"I have missed you so much!" she exclaimed.

Birchstripe turned back to Moss. "Welcome to the ThunderClan camp."


	2. Chapter 2

Heather woke up to see a roof over her head. She immediately relaxed. She was back into the barn, all safe in sound. No dogs or foxes can get her here.

"What should we do with them?" A voice asked from near by. Heather perked her ears up and listened.

"They're barely apprentices. Maybe if they join…"

"It's really Dappledstar's decision."

"And Featherflight's. She's been against the Clan since the battle."

"She goes by Feather now."

"Of course, if we can convince her…"

"That would be two new apprentices!"

"Not to mention another warrior. She always was one of the more committed warriors. Border patrols and hunting patrols every day."  
"Yeah, it was too bad she fell for that WindClan cat, Creekbreeze."

"But Birchstripe, too! They were always great friends."

"Really, it is her choice rather they stay or not."

"Of course, but still…" The voices faded away.

After a few more minutes a tan she-cat came in. Heather looked around and realized that this was not actually the barn. It wasn't a barn at all. It was much smaller and didn't have hay nests instead it had just a few nests made of moss and bird feathers. It was actually more comfortable than hay.

The she-cat's mew jolted Heather out of her thoughts. "Already awake? You look much better."  
Heather winced as she shifted positions in her nest. "I don't feel much better."

The cat gave a small _mrrow_ of laughter. "You should've seen yourself yesterday. My name is Mapletail, by the way."

Mapletail seemed like an odd name, but Heather didn't mention it. "My name is Heather. Where am I? I heard other cats."

Mapletail looked slightly confused. "We're in ThunderClan camp. We kind of live in a big group around here."

Heather immediately felt wary, despite Mapletail's friendliness. Feather had taught her never to trust Clan cats.

"Where is Feather?" she suddenly demanded. Did ThunderClan capture her? And where's Moss? Did the fox get him?

Just then Feather burst through the den. "You're okay!" she cried, suddenly covering Heather in licks. "I was so worried!" She looked at Mapletail. "When will she be able to go back with us to the barn?"

Mapletail hesitated. "She'll have to take it easy for a few days, definitely. She might be able to make it back to the barn tomorrow, but…"

"But…?" Feather prompted.

"But I think she should stay in camp until the scratch is completely healed, so if it's reopened I can fix it. Besides…"  
"Don't give me another lecture about how nice it would be in the Clan!" Feather snapped. "The answer is and will always be no."

Before Mapletail could answer, a small white she-cat with blue eyes that looked around the same age as Moss and Heather stepped in. "Hi!" She meowed brightly. "Dappledstar wants to see you guys." She looked questioningly at Mapletail. "Would it be okay for her to go to her den, or…"  
"Why don't you tell Dappledstar that she can come in here?" she answered.

"Wait, you don't think we can walk across the camp to Dappledstar's den?" Feather asked, anger creeping into her mew.

"We shouldn't risk letting the wound open again," she explained calmly. "That's all."

"She can walk," Feather hissed.

Mapletail shook her head, "No."

"No? _No?_ Are you suggesting that I don't know what's right for my own kit?"

For the first time, Mapletail's hackles raised. "Are you suggesting that I don't know what's right for my patients? I was trained for this."  
"You're treading on thin ice," Feather growled. "I make the final decision."

Heather was itching to go out and explore. "I'm fine."  
Mapletail looked at her sternly. "Dappledstar can come here." She changed the subject. "You're probably hungry. Dovepaw, can you grab something from the fresh-kill pile? Oh, and while you're out, go ahead and get Dappledstar."

The young white she-cat nodded. "Sure."

Heather lashed her tail. She was tired of being treated like a kit. "I'm not hungry," she muttered.

The other cats either didn't hear her or they ignored her. They had reached the point where they had their backs arched and were hissing.

Just then Dappledstar stepped in. She looked at Mapletail and Feather. "I am disappointed," she meowed. "ThunderClan cats do not fight each other."  
"I'm not a ThunderClan cat," Feather hissed.

Suddenly Moss came in from behind Heather. "You're okay!" he exclaimed, racing over to her nest and covering her in licks. "I'm so sorry!"

Before Heather could answer, Dappledstar cleared her throat. "I wanted to talk to you guys about the fox. Where did the fight take place?"

Feather was already flicking her tail impatiently. "Probably in the same place the patrol found them," she growled.

"Well, yes," Dappledstar agreed. But where did the fox come from? I need details."  
"It came from the north," Moss meowed.

"Was there anything else?"  
"There was a dog, right in the middle of the fight. It came up and started barking. It didn't attack or anything. The fox stopped and barked back. It was like they were communicating."

"Is that all?" Dappledstar persisted.

Heather's tail tip twitched in annoyance. What was the point of all this?

She started to zone out as Dappledstar asked more questions. Finally she sighed and stopped asking. "I was afraid this would happen," she meowed.

"What is it?" Feather asked.

"There has been many fox and dog attacks in all the Clans," Dappledstar explained. "But not one near ThunderClan territory. We'd been hoping that they wouldn't stray over here."

"Is there just one fox?" Moss wondered out loud.

She shook her head. "We're not sure how much, but there's definitely more than one." She looked at Feather. "You guys will be vulnerable in the barn. There is safety in numbers and, I have to say, you will be more likely to be attacked when you're in the barn."

"We'll be fine. But," she sighed and looked at Heather. "I supposed we can stay here for a few days. But only until we're able to go back to the barn."

Dappledstar dipped her head. "Of course," she meowed. "But's it's about time you tell them everything."

Feather didn't answer and left the den.

Moss stepped outside the medicine cat den. Colorful leaves blew in the air. Purring, he leaped up to grab one, pinning it down with his paws. He heard a _mroww_ of laughter from one of the cats, an elderly black tom.

"I remember when I was that energetic," the cat's meow was raspy. "When I was your age, that was my favorite game during leaf-fall. 'Who can catch the most leaves?' we'd challenge each other. Of course, I'd always catch the most."  
Moss padded over to him. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Don't you remember me? I'm Nightwhisker."

"Nice to meet you," Moss meowed politely. "My name is-"  
"I know your name," Nightwhisker interrupted. "You're Frostkit."

Moss cocked his head, confused. "It's Moss." he explained.

"Mosskit, Frostkit, whatever, you guys youngins don't understand what it's like to be forgetful like us elders."

"Elders?"  
"Ya know, old cats like me who stop being a warrior and go to the elder's den. Of course, that doesn't mean that we aren't capable of doing anything. Why, I remember this one time…"

"Moss!" Birchstripe called, interrupting Nightwhisker. "Come here for a sec."  
"Um, that sounds very interesting," he meowed hastily to Nightwhisker. "It really does, but I have to go. See you later!"  
He ran up to Birchstripe. "Sorry," he apologized. "I know you were talking to Nightwhisker. But I, um, I wanted to show you around. You know, before you leave and all that. I know, um, Featherflight, I mean, Feather, is opposed to you getting to know the Clan a little, but, I believe every cat should have a chance to get to know everything so they can make their own decision." he looked uncomfortable. "So, I thought I should show you around. You already know your way around the camp by now, but you don't know your way around ThunderClan territory."  
Moss nodded, suddenly excited. The camp was getting boring anyway, and he wanted a chance to explore outside the hollow.

"Well, let's go then," Birchstripe meowed. He disappeared through the gorse tunnel, Moss close behind.

"So…" Moss decided to start a conversation as they walked through the forest. "you guys have...different names than other cats. It seems like, I don't know, two names put together. And Nightwhisker called me "Mosskit. Does that mean I'm a kit?"  
Birchstripe shook his head. "You would be an apprentice, and your name would be Mosspaw. You see, the first part of your name always stay the same. Up until you're six moons old, you would be Mosskit, then, while you're training to become a warrior, you would be Mosspaw. Finally, when you're ready to become a warrior, the leader chooses the last part of your name. Mine is 'Stripe'. The warriors defend the Clan and hunt."

"What about Dappledstar?" Moss asked. "She seems to be in control."

"Well, she's the leader. That's why the last part of her name is 'Star'. She has nine lives."

"How did she get nine lives?"

Birchstripe shrugged. "She goes to the Moonstone to see StarClan, our ancestors. Only the medicine cat is allowed to see it, who is, as you may have already guessed, Mapletail." She's one of the most important cats in the Clan. If any of us gets hurt or sick, she can usually help."

"Who's the second most important cat?"  
"The leader of course. Without a leader, we would all be running around, no rules, and we wouldn't be able to survive."  
"And the third?"

"The deputy, which, not to brag, is me. The deputy is the leader when the leader dies or retires. Without a deputy, we wouldn't know who the leader is when the current leader dies."  
"One last thing." This is what Moss was wondering about ever since he got here. "Why does everyone act like I should know them?"  
Birchstripe suddenly stopped. "Well," he spoke slowly, as if he were choosing his words carefully. "You probably don't remember any of them, but they all know you. After all, you were born here, in ThunderClan."  
Moss didn't understand what he was hearing. "Does my dad live here?"  
Birchstripe nodded. "Yes. Feather should be the one telling you this but…"

"Yes?"

"I'm your father."


	3. Chapter 3

Moss stared at him in amazement. "You mean, I grew up here? I was Mosskit?"

ThunderClan had seemed vaguely familiar. He knew he hadn't grown up in the barn. Everyone acted like they knew him. Why didn't he put the pieces together sooner?  
"How long was I here?" he asked, longing to know more.

"A little under two moons," Birchstripe answered. "After that, you're mother decided to leave." His eyes clouded with sadness.

"Why didn't you go with her?" Moss pressed. "She's your mate."

He shook his head. "My loyalties lied in ThunderClan. I couldn't leave."

"But-"

Birchstipe raised a paw to silence him. "Come on. I'll show you around."

 _But I thought mates were as close as siblings,_ Moss thought. _I would never leave Heather._

Heather stepped out of the den into the cool leaf-fall air. It had been three sunrises since the talk with Dappledstar, and Mapletail had said that she was ready for the trip back to the barn.

 _Finally._

It had become almost unbearable not being able to leave the camp and sleeping in the medicine cat's den, with all the strong scents of the herbs. But she did get to know the apprentices, Honeypaw, Dustpaw, and Lionpaw. They were nice, but most of the time they were out training with their mentors. On the first day when she stayed in the medicine cat's den most of the time, the medicine cat's apprentice, Dovepaw, was good company. And of course, playing with the kits-Seedkit, Hollykit, and Fernkit was always fun. The elders, Nightfeather, Cinderfleck, and Otterbird, always have good stories, but all of those got boring after awhile.

"Hey," Honeypaw meowed, standing next to Heather. "It's too bad you're leaving soon. It would be great to train together! You could be Heatherpaw! Plus I wouldn't have to be the only she-cat apprentice." She rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't be able to imagine, sharing a den with the toms! At least the kits will become apprentices in a couple of moons."  
"Yeah," Heather agreed. "In the barn, though, Moss is the only tom! I feel so bad for him."  
They stood in silence for a while.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the highrock for a Clan meeting!" Dappledstar's yowl broke the silence.

"Come on, let's get a spot up front," Honeypaw whispered. They ran across the camp to the giant boulder.

"Alright," Dappledstar started as soon as everyone was situated. "It has been three sunrises since Heather, Feather, and Moss have arrived, and they are ready to go back to the place they live."  
"Why do we have to have a whole meeting for this, Dappledstar?" Feather called out.

"Yeah, I was in the middle of a mouse," Otterbird put in.

"Well, I just thought you might want to know, so you can say your goodbyes and all that," Dappledstar meowed, looking slightly flustered.

"Well, come on then," Feather meowed. "We'd best be on our way. Come on, Moss, Heather, we should be back by sunset if we leave now."

"Would you like an escort?" Dappledstar asked, obviously concerned.

"No," Feather answered icily. "After all, you wouldn't want any of your Clan cats to be _vulnerable. My_ family can defend ourselves."  
"Very well," Dappledstar meowed.

Feather turned and stalked away, tail raised high. "Come on."  
"Bye," Honeypaw meowed. "I'll miss you, even though I only knew you for a few sunrises."

"Bye!" Heather called over her shoulder.

"Come on, Moss," Feather snapped.

Even though it wasn't directed to her, Heather flinched. Feather hasn't been acting herself ever since they came into the Clan.

Moss was meowing to a few cats. On of them, Birchstipe, touched his tail lightly on Moss's shoulder and whispered something into his ear. Moss nodded and trotted up to the gorse tunnel. Feather had already slipped through.

"Well, you seem rather close to Birchstipe," Heather meowed cooly. She winced as she heard her words. She didn't mean for it to come out like that, but an odd feeling surged inside her.

Moss looked slightly hurt. "We were in ThunderClan for a while...and you expect me to not make any friends? Never get to know anyone?"

"I met cats," Heather meowed defensively. "But...I don't know...it's just…" She sighed. "I know everyone now, but you...it's like…" _Just spit it out!_ She thought crossly. Her mouth was moving faster than her head. "It's like you've been living there all your life! It's like everyone already knew you, and it's strange." Moss was looking at her strangely. "I'm just so confused!" She burst out.

Moss hesitated. "I-I'm sure everything will be better once we get back," he meowed.

 _He's not telling me everything,_ she thought, but didn't press it.

"Hurry up," Feather meowed good-naturedly. Heather relaxed. Things were finally going to get back to normal.

Heather stalked through the tall grass, keeping low to the ground. Just a couple tail-lengths away, a mouse nibbled on some seeds. She bunched her hind legs, ready to pounce.

Suddenly the high-pitched bark of a fox made her jump. The mouse scurried off, it's squeal audible as it ran to the bushes, then cut off abruptly.

Heather peered into the bushes, ready to bolt off at a moment's notice. Amber eyes blinked out from the brush. Her heartbeat quickened.

A russet-furred face appeared, holding the mouse in it's jaws. The fox growled low in it's throat, legs positioned to pounce.

 _It thinks I'm prey!_ Heather thought, panicked. _And there's no ThunderClan patrol to save me this time._

Without thinking, she zoomed towards ThunderClan territory, the fox snapping at her heels. She burst into the trees, tripping over brambles and thorns. _The moor is so much easier!_ The fox didn't seem to be having any troubles, weaving through the trees skillfully.

Before she knew it, Heather found herself backed up against a large tree. The fox barked in happiness as it lunged for her. She quickly clawed up the tree, going up to the top.

She looked down and gasped. The height was dizzying. The bark was slippery from the rain that had come earlier. _I could die!_ she thought fearfully, suddenly missing the days curled up at Feather's belly, not a care in the world.

The fox was trying to climb the tree. It finally gave up, but sat by the tree, eating the mouse, waiting for her to come down.

 _It knows I have to come down sometime._ Heather filled with dread. _I just hope Moss and Feather don't come looking for me._

Moss's stomach rumbled. Where was Heather? She was supposed to be hunting. A sudden thought came to him. What if the fox came again? He had been reluctant to let her go out by herself, but he wasn't the boss of her. Besides, if there was a fox, it wasn't like he would've made a difference…

"I'm worried about Heather," Feather voiced his thoughts. "Should I have waited another quarter moon? Should I have gone with her? Mapletail warned me…"

Even though Moss was also worried, he decided he had to comfort his mother. "She'll be fine," he meowed. "She's one of the toughest cats I know." _Not that I know much cats,_ he added to himself. With a pang, he realized he missed Birchstripe.

 _Now's not the time for that!_ Moss scolded himself. His sister was missing.

"I know, but still…"

"She's just probably taking her time and bringing back loads of prey," he assured Feather.

"I told her not to be long," Feather meowed fretfully.

"You just said to be back before sunset," Moss meowed. "It's not sunset yet."

Feather nodded, but still looked worried.

The moon was just starting to rise when Heather came back, her tail slightly bushed. She smelled like ThunderClan mixed with...something else that smelled familiar.

Feather immediately rushed up to her. "Where have you been? We've been so worried!"  
Heather shrugged. "Hunting," she meowed.

"And you didn't catch anything? Prey is that scarce? It's not even leaf-bare," Moss wondered out loud, not believing a word she said.

Feather suddenly bristled. "I smell ThunderClan and fox," she hissed. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Heather stammered. "I think I'll just go to sleep now."  
"When we sent you out hunting you came back with nothing and now you're _lying_ to me?" Feather growled.

Heather flinched and crouched down submissively. "Get up!" Feather spat. "I will have no daughter of mine act like this. At dawn tomorrow I expect you to go out hunting and come back with enough food to last us a week. _Understand?_ " Heather nodded, not saying a word. Feather stalked off to her nest.

"Who put brambles in her nest?" he muttered to Heather, trying to lighten up the mood. She just flicked her tail and curled up on the other side of the barn.

Moss padded over to her, concerned. "What happened?" he whispered. "Feather's right-you smell like ThunderClan and fox."

A pair of amber eyes blinked at him. "Why do you need to know?"  
"Because I'm your brother," he meowed, trying not to sound hurt, but failing.

Heather sighed. "Nothing, okay? I accidently wandered into ThunderClan territory, near a fox den, that's why I smell like that. It was just a bad hunting day."  
"Then why didn't you tell Feather that?"  
Heather didn't answer.

 _We used to tell each other everything,_ he thought. Then he realized something - Birchstripe had told Moss not to tell Heather that he was Moss's father. He had kept that promise. He missed Birchstripe, and ThunderClan, but was it keeping a promise for his father really worth this rift between he and Heather?

After a long, restless night, Moss woke up to see light filtering in the barn. Heather was already up and grooming herself. Feather opened her eyes and yawned. She looked between Moss and Heather. "Heather, why aren't you hunting," she growled, standing up. "I didn't raise you like this. _Do as I say._ "

Instead of acting submissive like Heather did last night, she stood her ground. "Feather, I'm sorry I didn't bring back any food last night. But the truth is-" _Finally, get to hear the truth._ "The truth is, I wandered into ThunderClan territory - that's why I smelled like ThunderClan - and I went very near a fox's den. That's why I smelled like fox."  
Feather hissed and clouted Heather on the head, hard. Heather gasped in pain but didn't say anything. "You're lying _again._ I am very disappointed. Our family was hungry last night because of you. Go."  
Without thinking, Moss spoke up. "If we lived in ThunderClan, if one cat didn't do well in hunting, the Clan wouldn't go hungry. There are multiple cats to hunt." Heather froze. The two she-cats stared at him in surprise.

"This will just happen more and more often, when leaf-bare comes. It's already getting colder. Do we want to live like this?"

Nobody answered.

"Well, I don't." Moss took a deep breath. He had made this decision last night, while he was trying to go to sleep. "I want to join ThunderClan."


End file.
